


Running Flat

by SKayLanphear



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Boys Being Silly, Longing, M/M, Pining, Romance, Thought sharing, embarrassing stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-03
Updated: 2017-03-17
Packaged: 2018-09-21 17:24:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9559535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SKayLanphear/pseuds/SKayLanphear
Summary: Lance, like all the other paladins, is finally getting used to the “mind meld” they all have to indulge in when controlling their lions. Until someone’s uncontrollable crush comes in and knocks them all back in surprise. It’s a crush that circles persistently through their thoughts and only gets stronger as time goes on, until they begin to realize this might be a bit more serious than the term “crush” implies.Meanwhile, the unfortunate paladin behind it all is trying desperately to bury the feelings away, yet failing at every turn.





	1. Part 1

The mind meld, as Lance (because he was a clever genius) had deemed it, that the five paladins were quite forced into when they were in their lions was something they'd all been initially uncomfortable with. But as their battles with the Galra and practice days had worn on, they'd grown quite accustomed to the whole thing. The mental connection wasn't overly invasive, after all. More or less, it was about intention.

Not intention as in they could control what was projected and what wasn't, but more as though their thoughts and feelings had to be intentionally severe. For example, Pidge's irritation when they were cornered by the Galra was always very obvious, or Shiro's deep desire that they all stay calm and collected. Hunk was known for, well, panic, but that usual faded pretty quickly in favor a deep thrumming determination and focus (as well as hunger when they were practicing boring formations). Keith had less constant interjections and was more inclined to shoot them up with irritation or rage (depending on the situation) for short bursts of seconds. Lance was also pretty sure that, when things were dire, the fierce desire to protect came from Keith too. He'd thought it was Shiro at first, until their head's steady kind of acute protectiveness had come to the surface.

Though everyone was flattered at these rare displays by Keith, no one said anything. Probably wouldn't have gone over too well and, honestly, making Keith feel embarrassed by the bonds he'd formed with them probably wasn't a good idea when considering how he kept to himself most of the time.

Because, yes, even Lance knew when there was potential to go a step too far. He liked to bicker and poke and prod at Keith, and be a general annoyance to everyone, but he wasn't out to hurt feelings. Not intentionally anyway. He was a people person, after all, and spent a great deal of energy feeling others out and learning their boundaries. Sure, his fellow paladins probably didn't realize as much (he knew they thought he was slightly ridiculous and maybe even a little stupid—most people did), but it was true. He was generally thoughtful and only pushed as far as he was sure someone could take.

His supposed intellect (or assumed lack) and knack for being annoying aside, he brought his own degree of Lance to the mind meld mud pile of feelings. Optimism, that was what he generally projected in battle or practice. After all, they had to have faith they were going to succeed in order to do so. Maybe optimism wasn't as important as Hunk's determination, Shiro's steady hand, Pidge's irritated analyses, or Kieth's adrenaline inducing rage, but it must have been good for something. Otherwise there'd be problems. Allura was always going on about how they had to be balanced, how it was important that their own thoughts work well with everyone else's.

And since no one had been complaining, Lance could only come to so many conclusions. Either his optimism was useful or, well, simply wasn't a hindrance, worst case scenario. Not like they really talked about each other's mental brain waves, after all. They'd all pretty much deduced who was who—it was pretty obvious—but so long as things were going smoothly, there was no need to call any of it to attention.

That was what Lance told himself anyway. Even if his fluffy, hovering over their heads optimism was as much use as a lawnmower in space, at least he wasn't causing problems. That in and of itself was enough to keep him positive.

Maybe he was a fifth wheel, but at least he wasn't running flat.

They kept up this general understanding quite well, each of them acclimating to the feeling of their minds rubbing together until it became habitual.

Which made something new cropping up that much more obvious to everyone.

At first, it was this barely noticeable thrum, so Lance didn't think too much of it. They were just practicing some formations outside the castle, safely tucked out of Zarkon's reach, and sometimes one or two of them were slightly preoccupied. It happened—they were only human after all—and couldn't be totally in sync all the time.

Generally, however, when these foreign feelings cropped up, they made a few turns through the constant loop that was their minds before the person responsible got their act together.

At worst—should someone be really off their game—Shiro would say something.

Which was what he did then, when the subtle thrumming didn't go away. It was like a vague itch and was beginning to distract them all.

"Everyone, remember to focus," he said into the coms. "I know these formations seem easy these days, but that doesn't mean practice isn't important."

Lance nodded inside his helmet, steering Blue expertly around his fellow Paladins and wondering who it was that was thinking of other things. The familiar was obvious, but unless it was a sensation that could easily be related to one of them, it was sometimes hard to tell who was guilty and who wasn't.

Despite Shiro's warning, however, the feeling persisted.

In fact, it grew stronger, blossoming between them like an unwanted flower that gave away more than was likely intended.

Pidge giggled.

"Focus, Paladins."

"How are we supposed to focus, Shiro?" Lance asked. "I feel like I'm getting filled up with warm fuzzies or bubble water."

Keith growled.

"Just because someone's feeling extra affectionate, doesn't mean we need to let it distract us," Shiro maintained.

Because that was what the itch had turned into. Someone—though it be yet a mystery—was having some very, very, uh, "friendly" feelings toward someone else among their group. And while it was likely embarrassing for whoever couldn't control it, Lance thought it was kind of nice to feel something so bubbly and innocent for once.

"Okay, seriously, I can't focus with this going on," Pidge said, laughing again and nearly running her lion into Keith's when she was supposed to have been spiraling in the other direction. "This group crush," as it'd become, "is _really_ distracting."

Shiro sighed, sounding somewhat sharper in tone. "We need to be able to work through this kind of thing."

"That sounds _awfully_ defensive, Space Dad," Lance teased. "You know what they say, the more you deny it…"

Shiro was quite obviously not amused. But everyone knew that he had feelings for Allura and this "crush" was, well, it was directed at one of the paladins, that much was also clear. They all kept Shiro's feelings safely locked up nonetheless. They could sense it a bit every time Allura came over the com, but they knew better than to so much as comment.

The realization had also spurred Lance to flirt with her a little less. But only a little.

"Can we just focus on practice?" Keith asked, sounding exasperated. "This is a waste of time."

"Now that's just mean, hot stuff," Lance replied, using the nick name he knew irritated Keith the most. "Love is not a waste of time."

A flash of annoyance passed from Keith and bounced between them all.

"I bet it's Hunk," Lance decided, though he knew perfectly well that it wasn't. He'd know what a Hunk-crush felt like—they'd known each other far too long for him not to.

"Hm? What?" Hunk's voice came abruptly over the coms. "Sorry, I was thinking about lunch and- Ohhhhh, wait, what's _that_?" He giggled like a little school girl. "Somebody's got a _crush_!"

"How long have you been daydreaming?" Pidge asked.

"Since, like, two formations ago."

Shiro sighed. Again. "Look, it doesn't matter who has a crush on who, Keith is right. We have practice to get to and something like this shouldn't be enough to stop us in our tracks." Because they'd all come to a stop, their lions floating motionlessly in space. "Sometimes things like this will happen and we need to just work through it. Now enough chatter and form ranks for drill nineteen."

Though there was a bit more good-natured snickering, they did as they were told and didn't mention the crush for the rest of practice, despite it never seeming to go away.

"Maybe one of the _lions_ has a crush," Pidge joked as they were heading into the common room that afternoon.

"Like, on another lion?" Hunk asked.

"Pfft, yeah right." Lance popped the collar of his hood. "If there's a crush to be had, ya'll know who it's directed at." He thought his implication was pretty clear, but Pidge and Hunk still dared to pretend to be clueless. So Lance cleared his throat. "Well, whoevers lion it is, they should know I'm taken. Me and Blue, we're steady as they come." He made a leveling motion with his hand.

"Good to know your romantic considerations include a giant lion spaceship," Pidge said with a smirk.

Lance glared. "Of course they do. Blue is a beautiful, stunning woman and deserves every attention I have to give."

"Okay, this is getting weird," Hunk decided. "We don't need to know what you and your lion get up to in your cockpit."

Lance was nearly ready to be offended, but then settled for a sly grin instead. "Cockpit," he said simply.

Both Hunk and Pidge left him in their dust, walking nearly fast enough to catch up with Keith and Shiro.

Unfortunately, the infamous crush didn't clear up as they'd all thought it would. The next time they were all suited up and in their lions, it was still there and thrumming as steadily as ever. In fact, it only grew stronger with each practice, though by small amounts. For a few days, Lance and Pidge did seriously consider that maybe it was a lion, but there was something inherently human about it, specifically how… shy the sensation was. Whoever was projecting it didn't want to be and was trying desperately to hold it back. Which just wasn't a lion characteristic. If the lions needed or wanted something, well, they made sure everybody knew about it.

It quickly became something they refused to talk about, no matter how heavily it weighed over them all. Sometimes, when they first got into their lions, they could feel the owner of the crush pushing back on it desperately, a slice of frantic panic that was much more personal than Hunk's overzealous freak outs during missions.

The one behind it, however, was never successful in keeping it at bay. And so it became a bit of a norm, until, finally, whoever it belonged to stopped trying to hide it. Instead, the crush was lined with a certain degree of resignation.

It wasn't until one morning—following a night of pummeling a Garlra fleet and making a run for it—that the issue cropped up again.

It was stupid, really. They'd just pulled off a ridiculously hard practice maneuver, one they'd been working on for weeks, and everyone was thrilled to have finally gotten it right.

"About time," Pidge said into the com. "I was pretty sure Lance was going to run headlong into Shiro for the millionth time."

"Hey! That's a hard move!" Lance snapped. "I don't see you trying to do it."

Pidge pouted.

"He's right," Shiro interjected. "If you can pull that twist regularly, we'll have yet another strategy. It is a hard move, Lance, and you should be proud."

"Yeah, Lance!" Hunk agreed.

Pidge sighed. "I guess you have turned out to be a pretty good pilot," she said, though she didn't sound all that thrilled about doing so.

Lance, on the other hand, silently preened at the attention. It wasn't every day that focus was put on him. Which was fine—he'd grown up in a giant family and knew attention was something to be earned. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to bask in it when he was able.

And then—right after Pidge's comment—was when it happened. The "crush" expanded and swelled abruptly, hazing through them all until it was surrounding Lance in a warm sort of buzz. A buzz that was both encouraging as well as filled with…

It was filled with _love_.

Needless to say, the sudden change took them all aback, multiple gasps of surprise echoing over the coms. Lance was among them, his hands tight around his control sticks as he blinked stupidly and gaped into the silence of his cockpit.

It wasn't something that was easy to recover from, after all. The feeling—which in itself seemed like an understated descriptor—was all-encompassing and completely engulfing. For a few seconds, Lance could have sworn he was wrapped up tight in his mother's arms, or standing beneath the Cuban sun, or even enjoying a _worry-free_ afternoon with Blue (which had never happened). He felt safe and valued and… and raw.

The sensation was so poignant that he thought he might tear up if it smothered him much longer.

But it didn't stick around. Frantic panic abruptly rushed past them all and like a cat clawing down curtains, the haze was ripped away, the crush more subdued than it had been when it'd first shown up. Probably because there was a new blanket of mortification to drown it out.

To Lance, however, it felt like having a nice, warm, home-filled quilt ripped violently from his hands. So violently that he even whined into the com before he could stop himself.

For a few seconds, no one said a single thing, their lions once more floating motionlessly in space.

It was Allura that finally interrupted the silence. "Is everything alright? I'm not seeing any activity from anyone…?"

"Uh, yeah, everything's fine," Shiro said quickly, that _he'd_ stumbled some over his words hammering through all the harder how… shocking the situation had been. But with the silence sliced, they were able to take stunted direction and finish up the practice, even if none were recovered enough to be on their top game.

Lance least of all. Sitting quietly in the kitchen while Hunk cooked (a rare occurrence in itself), he contemplated what had happened with furrowed brows and an out of character frown.

They all knew with certainty at that point who the crush was directed toward, if crush was even an appropriate word. To Lance, who'd been the target of the emotional swell, it'd been made perfectly clear that this was more than a crush. One of the four other paladins were…

They were in _love_ with him. With _Lance_. While Lance liked to flaunt a cocky personality and flirt with anything he found relatively attractive, he'd never actually… dated anyone before. Which meant that he'd never found someone that had actually reciprocated any of his advances. Most of the time, his flirting was viewed as a silly bother and, while sometimes considering him charming, no one had ever taken him seriously.

Which made it a little hard for Lance to even believe that someone was… was in _love_ with him. One of his teammates really thought that highly of him? But how? And why? Of them all, he had the least to offer, was… was the most replaceable. He'd didn't have Hunk or Pidge's smarts, or Shiro's Dad-Vibes, or Keith's mad skills at everything.

Yet, somehow, he'd managed to catch someone's attention.

But _who_?

Well, there were only four options. Unless… Unless it was a lion.

Okay, that was weird. No. No lions.

There was no way it was Shiro—he was way too obsessed with Allura.

And Keith was out too. Lance was pretty sure that the most Keith did was tolerate him, let alone like him.

Which left Hunk and Pidge…

Leaning forward on his stool, Lance narrowed his dark blue eyes at Hunk's back. He was leaning into the oven, pulling out a batch of cookies, and Lance said nothing as the large man turned to face him.

At which point, Hunk sighed. "It's not me," he said simply, setting the cookies down on the counter before putting his full focus on the conversation.

Lance tapped his chin thoughtfully. "There's no way for me to know that for sure…"

"Dude, I'm not in love with you. No offense, but you're not exactly my type. You know, being a dude and all."

Yet Lance remained stubbornly suspicious. "I'm watching you…"

"You know it's not me," Hunk continued, slipping the cookies off the sheet with some kind of overly-long spatula. Alien Spatula.

"Well if it's not you, that only leaves Pidge!" Lance hissed out, before reaching up and gripped the sides of his face in distress. "Oh god, Pidge is in _love_ with me! Hunk! What do I do?!"

Hunk looked doubtful. "Why would you think it's Pidge?"

"That's the only other option there is! Shiro wants to get in Allura's alien space pants, Keith hates my guts. If not you, then it's Pidge. Or…" Lance gulped. "Or one of the lions really is in love with me! Oh god, Hunk! There's a giant cat-shaped spaceship in love with me! Blue is going to kill that other lion! We'll be ripped apart!" He put the back of his hand against his forehead dramatically and leaned back. "Voltron will never rise again!"

"It's not a lion, you know that."

"Then it's _Pidge_!"

"I'm what?"

Just then, the very girl hopped up onto the stood beside Lance, peering between the two curiously.

"Uh…" Hunk was obviously uncomfortable, as was Lance, which Pidge clearly noticed. She looked puzzled, before then becoming exasperatingly irritated.

"Don't flatter yourself," she said simply, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not in love with you. Like that's even possible."

"Hey!"

Pidge waved off Lance's shout of protest. "You seriously haven't figured out who it is?"

"Pidge, don't," Hunk warned.

"Wait, wait, wait," Lance waved his hands dramatically. "You know who it is?"

"Er, uh, well, n-not exactly…" Hunk shrugged and focused down on his cookies.

"Look, it's not Shiro, we all know that since we know what his crush feels like already. And it's not Hunk, at least not after today when we found out this thing was directed at you, of all people."

" _Hey_!"

"And it's not me because, one, _no_ , and two, I'm not really into the whole love scene."

"Uh, well that means it _has_ to be a lion then," Lance deduced, holding up a knowing finger.

Pidge looked at him like he was an idiot. "Or _Keith_."

Lance said nothing for a moment, before releasing a loud, short, bitter laugh. "Yeah, no. Keith hates my guts."

"I don't know that I'd say he _hates_ you," Hunk corrected.

"Okay, well, he's definitely not in love with me."

"He's the only option. Process of elimination."

" _Or_ ," Lance said slyly, "one of you is lying."

Pidge rolled her eyes. "Well, I thought the crush at first belonged to you, so I guess I can't blame you for not believing it. The idea that Keith is in love at all, let alone with a doofus like you, is pretty unbelievable."

"Gee, thanks." Lance was not amused.

"But," she bit into her cookie, "it's really your only option."

"Or it's a lion."

Both Pidge and Hunk spoke at the same time. "It's not a lion."

"Well! It's also not Keith!" Huffing, Lance stood, waving his arms in their direction helplessly before once again narrowing his eyes. "I'm watching you two," he said, pointing at them as he began to walk away. "Always watching," he whispered lastly, just as he was backing out of the room.

More frustrated that he would have preferred, Lance once more ran through all his options as he walked to his room. Despite her words, Pidge was still at the top of his list of most likely. She was probably just trying to throw him off her trail.

Still, even Pidge seemed inherently _unlikely_. It seemed unlikely that _any_ of them could feel that way about him. Maybe… Maybe he was misinterpreting the whole thing? What if it hadn't actually been directed at him and it'd just been a mix-up in their muddle of mind waves? Or what if it wasn't love and they were just assuming it was?

He was the goof, the clown, the flirt. He couldn't imagine that any of his teammates would fall for him. He just… didn't seem their types.

But…

Reaching up, Lance laid his hand on his chest before gripping some at his t-shirt. For a moment, it'd been so welcoming and… and comforting, being loved. It'd felt… safe. And good. And pure. And it'd been painful when it'd been ripped away.

No, he couldn't think like that. No matter who it was that felt such things for him, he couldn't encourage it or go looking for it. Fact was, he didn't feel the same way about them and it wouldn't be fair to take advantage of their feelings. He did… he did like someone, but as he'd told Hunk and Pidge, they hated his guts (most likely).

There was no way the feelings belonged to Keith. The red paladin could hardly stand to be in the same room as Lance most of the time, let alone be any more than a friend. If that. They were rivals, mostly, and at each other's throats whenever they could be. Granted, Lance liked fighting with Keith. One, it was fun, and two, it was a good cover up for his own feelings. Despite what everyone probably thought (except for maybe Hunk), Lance was very good at controlling his emotions. Growing up in a big family teaches patience and restraint, and a certain degree of acceptance that things are not going to always go the way one wants. Becoming emotional wasn't acceptable when he had so many others to look out for. Not that emotions were frowned upon, but he was an older brother. He was used to putting others before himself, to hiding his own pain.

Which made it easier to accept that Keith didn't want anything to do with him. Voltron, his friends, they came first. He couldn't afford to be making a stink about his own personal issues.

Whoever it was that had feelings for him, however, seemed to be having far more trouble with the whole ordeal. Which Lance felt bad about. It was obvious they didn't want to broadcast their feelings, but just couldn't help it.

Well, it was probably better not to pursue the issue anyway. Yeah, that was best. There was no way Lance would ever tease anyone about those kinds of feelings and it was probably wise not to go snooping around about them either. Whoever it was (he was still thinking Pidge), they'd get over it soon enough. Just like he'd eventually get over Keith.

After all, he'd had plenty of crushes, even fallen a few times, and he was always able to move on.

That was what was best. Just… let it go.

Things would go back to normal soon.


	2. Part 2

Keith… Keith was panicking. Like, hardcore panicking. Like, freaking out.

Just… hopefully nobody could tell. He was pretty sure no one could. Maybe he couldn't control his feelings when they were in their lions, but he damn sure was going to when they weren't.

It was… It was embarrassing, what had happened. Beyond embarrassing, but he really didn't want to think about it long enough to measure the level of embarrassment. That would probably have him blushing at the dinner table and that wasn't acceptable. Blushing and burying his face in his pillow and whining was for private Keith time only. As far as everyone else needed to know, he was stoic and cool.

And definitely not in love with Lance.

Okay, he did lose his temper… sometimes. He knew that. But that didn't automatically mean he was guilty of the ridiculous crush he couldn't keep from his thoughts anymore. Not as far as his teammates knew. No, he probably wasn't handling this whole "being in love with Lance" thing in the healthiest way, but he'd never been in love before and, well, the whole predicament was honestly stressing him out to the point where—so long as he wasn't in his lion—he all out refused to seriously entertain it. Easier to ignore. After all, they had far more important things to be worried about than… feelings.

Ugh, why had this happened?! What was even so great about Lance anyway? He was loud and obnoxious and… and even as they were eating dinner, he was trying to hang a spoon off his nose. Him and Coran both, actually.

And yet, despite how ridiculous Keith wanted to find the whole thing, all he really registered was a sense of endearment. How could Lance be so… what he was! But also so… everything… all at the same time?

The spoon fell off Lance's nose and splattered in the food goo. Keith rolled his eyes.

Rolled them and caught Pidge's smirk in the same moment. A smirk that was directly across from him and far too focused in his direction. It was a knowing smirk, like he was a puzzle and she'd put the pieces together. Pulling her hands up, she cradled her chin on her fingers while her smirk transformed into a wicked smile.

Keith felt his cheeks—his entire face—flare.

 _She knew_!

The panic, like when he was in his lion trying to control his emotions, came flooding back. He stared back at her, unknowing what else he could do and hoping no one else at the table was catching on.

Of course he'd considered that his teammates would figure it out eventually. But he hadn't known how to prepare for such a thing and so hadn't put much focus on it. Now he was regretting that decision as he was wholly ignorant on what he should do.

And then—as things usually did—the situation only began to spiral into deeper water.

Beside Pidge, Hunk had finally looked her way, only to notice the way she was focused on Keith. He stared between them for a few seconds, before realization dawned on his expression. He opened his mouth as though to take in a deep breath or gasp, before slamming his hand over his lips. This didn't stop the giddiness from leaking between his fingers.

Keith, meanwhile, was only more traumatized by the whole thing. Even if Hunk was offering him a reassuring eye, he was too far gone. His face only flushed further, attention tearing from his two teammates to focus determinedly on his food.

Would they tell Lance? Oh god, this couldn't end well. He wasn't in love with Lance, he wasn't in love with Lance, he wasn't…

Ugh, why was this his life?!

"What are you three doing?" Shiro's voice rang out across the table, Hunk and Pidge snapping their attention toward him while Keith only dared to look up through the corners of his eyes. He desperately hoped his hair was hiding the state of his face, especially when Shiro's curiosity drew everyone else's eyes their way as well.

"Uh, n-nothing," Pidge lied. "Just… eating…"

Shiro furrowed his eyebrows, clearly confused about why they'd lie, while his gaze bounced between them.

And like it had the other two, the silent topic made itself apparent on Shiro's expression as well. First through surprise, before becoming disapproval that he threw Pidge and Hunk's way.

Which meant that _Shiro_ knew too!

Keith was going to implode.

"I'm tired," he announced abruptly, standing and refusing to look at anyone. "I'm going to bed." Without a second's pause, he turned on his heel and marched swiftly from the room. He didn't look back, instead making directly for his bedroom before locking the door. Taking a deep breath, which did little to relieve his stress, he then drooped his way over to the bed and fell forward on his stomach.

He groaned into the sheets.

The rest of the night—until he finally managed to get a few hours of sleep—was spent in varying degrees of panic and worry. Which left him red-eyed and yawning the following morning when they were all gathering for their morning meeting. Shiro went over the regular stuff, Lance made a stupid comment, and Keith refused to look at anyone.

Eventually they were in their lions, readying themselves for practice, and Keith tried anew to pull his feelings back. But he didn't have a lot of experience in controlling his emotions—not like this anyway—and knew as they were headed out that he'd fail. Like he always had.

It didn't help that, following his display last practice (he'd been really happy for Lance, okay?!), there were a plethora of new feelings coming from all his teammates. Shiro's sympathy was obvious. Someone else was oddly optimistic, another amused. And he was pretty sure the uncertain defensiveness was Lance.

He didn't know what to make of that.

"Alright, alright," Shiro said into the coms, the sheer range and activity going between their minds already causing a distraction. "We're here to practice. So everyone needs to reel it in and get focused."

His words, while stern, didn't exactly do much in controlling the situation. Instead, Keith was grinding his teeth in frustration—so as to stop himself from gasping into the com—when a broad kind of encouragement bubbled up beneath his own feelings. He knew it was Hunk within the moment, the sheer warmth of the sentiment unable to be anyone else.

That didn't mean he appreciated it. Like a cat shying away from a hovering hand, he yanked his own feelings away from Hunk. He tried to gather them to himself, to hide them, but it was like trying to hold water constantly flowing from a tap.

He understood that Hunk was well-meaning, but the whole situation had him panicking again. The sympathy was obviously Shiro. The optimistic encouragement had been revealed as Hunk. If Pidge gave herself away as well, he'd be sunk. If he wasn't already.

"Guys, I mean it," Shiro said into the coms, his tone more severe than usual.

"Shiro's right," Lance added, though his voice was oddly shaken. "Hunk, leave- leave him alone."

Process of elimination. Keith wasn't the type to be amused by this kind of thing, which meant that with Hunk out of the way, the amusement could belong to only one other—Pidge. And whoever was behind the feelings of affection certainly wasn't going to be amused by the situation.

Lance wasn't stupid. Of course he figured it out. A slow prickling of honest surprise was gradually filtering from him, but there wasn't any disbelief. How could there be when the evidence was so obviously in front of them all?

Which spurred a waterfall of uncertain sympathy to come pouring from everyone, likely because Keith was utterly incapable of containing his mortification and fear. He didn't know what to do, or what to say, or how to react. Lance was never meant to find out—he'd never wanted to tell him. He'd have gotten over it eventually. There was no need for anyone to have found out.

Was Lance going to hate him? Be disgusted? Oh no, oh no. This couldn't be happening.

He'd never wanted him to know!

"Keith?"

Lance's voice cut through his thoughts like a blade, so sharp that he felt the edges against his temples. Reaching up, he yanked his helmet from his head and tossed it across Red's cockpit. He was breathing heavily, sweating, and even trembling.

And, as if sensing the sheer gravity of his distress, his lion cut the final connection with the others by shutting down completely. Without his helmet, they couldn't sense his thoughts. And without Red, he couldn't hear them speaking.

He was alone in the darkness, chest heaving and regrets spinning.

It was irresponsible to remove himself from the meld. Irresponsible to cut off communication with everyone. But he didn't know what else to do. The silence was safe. The silence was his own. He might not be in control of his feelings, but he could at least control a bit of the space around him.

Until… when?

He was sitting in space in a downed lion (willingly or not). The serenity couldn't last long, he knew that. Logically, he knew. But his panic kept him frozen, unwilling to act.

Helpless.

He'd never considered _what_ he'd do if Lance found out. The idea of anyone finding out, let alone Lance, had hardly been something he'd been able to fathom. As soon as he'd realized his feelings, he'd decided to keep them to himself. The team couldn't afford something as complicated as two of the paladins being in a relationship. And… besides, Lance wouldn't… Lance definitely _didn't_ feel that way about him. Lance hardly liked him platonically, let alone romantically. Which meant that Lance _never_ finding out had been the best solution.

What would happen now? Would he have to… talk about it? Would he be… Would he have to suffer through a _rejection_?

It was one thing to simply know he'd be rejected and quite another to have Lance solidify it. Despite knowing that would be the outcome, Keith could feel it in his chest. Feel the… the pain blossoming there. He tried to ignore it, to reason with it, to convince himself that he knew this was how things would go. But it didn't seem to matter. It grew from a bloom to a flood, until it was pushing up through him so harshly that he had to angrily reach up and wipe his eyes.

He hadn't wanted Lance to know! He hadn't wanted this!

"Keith?"

Startled, he glanced up and watched as the dashboard inside Red came back to life. The mortification inside him grew only worse, hands wrapping tightly around the control sticks as he silently begged Red not to power back up. But she didn't heed his plea and soon the whole cockpit was lit up again.

"Keith…?" The voice was Lance. "Are you… Are you there? Red- Red's eyes are glowing again. Can you… hear me?"

Keith didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything. He stayed totally and completely silent, only allowing himself the quietest of breaths while Lance's own breathing echoed lightly over the com. He half expected to hear the voices of everyone else, but aside from Lance, it was eerily sparse. Which didn't exactly make Keith feel any better. Not that anything in those moments _would_ make him feel better.

"Uh… I'm assuming you can hear me," he decided. "No one else is here, so it's just you and me. They all went back to the castle."

No, that wasn't the least bit comforting. Not in the slightest.

Lance paused, before once again beginning to speak. "Look, er, I don't really know what to say if you're not going to, like… talk back to me. I mean, I know I like to talk and hear my own voice or whatever, but this would be a lot easier if you'd say something."

No, absolutely not. As far as Keith was concerned, none of this was happening. If it wasn't happening, then it wasn't real. And if it wasn't real, then he wasn't being rejected.

If it wasn't real, then the way his heart was breaking and the way tears were slowly streaming down his face didn't have to mean anything.

"Okay, so… not going to say anything then. That's cool. That's fine. Uh…" Lance clicked his tongue. "Look, I get that you might be kind of embarrassed right now. About- About what's been happening. But, like, it's really not a big deal."

It was a big deal. To Keith, it was one of the biggest deals ever.

"I mean, I'm flattered really. Like, super flattered. I'm kind of shocked, actually." Lance chuckled a bit, but his words weren't exactly comforting. In fact, they were basically the exact opposite. The rejection was immanent, Keith could feel it, and he did everything he could to stop himself from gasping against it. He didn't want Lance to hear—didn't want Lance to know. "I never would have thought that you… felt that way about me. I kinda thought you hated me, to be honest. Well, maybe not 'hate,' just, like, thought I was… I don't know. I don't know what I'm saying."

He chuckled again.

Keith forcefully held his breath.

"Keith? Please would you just- Would you say something? I kind of- I need to hear your voice, I think. Maybe that would make this easier?"

Easier? _Easier_?! There was absolutely nothing easy about this! Leave it to Lance to think that was even possible! Lance, who could go up to anyone and just worm his way into their head! Lance, who had no problems expressing himself! Lance, who seemed to like everyone but Keith! And _he_ needed this to be easier?!

Gritting his teeth, Keith tried to hold it in. He tried to remain hidden in the shadows. But each slight echo of Lance's breath was like a punch to the chest, until he couldn't hold in the strangled breath any longer. It jolted from his chest almost violently, and was accompanied by more tears that he couldn't control.

"Keith?!" Lance asked, sounding alarmed. "Are you alright?!"

He ground his teeth with effort, but it was like the floodgates were open and there was nothing Keith could do to stopper the emotions welling up through him. "Would you just l-leave me alone, Lance?!" he asked harshly. "I don't w-want to talk about this!"

Just let it end. Or, better yet, let it never happen at all.

"Keith? Are you…" Lance sounded surprised, which wasn't what Keith had been going for. Anger would have been the preferred reaction. "Are you crying?"

"Fuck you, Lance!"

"Hey! You don't have to be nasty! For once, I'm not trying to pick a fight with you!"

"Well I w-wish you would!" At least that would be normal. At least Keith would know how to respond then.

Lance made a scoffing sound, which was followed by a deep growl. "Look, I get you're embarrassed and stuff, but you don't have to be a dick about it. There isn't any reason for you to be embarrassed in the first place. Not like you could help it or something."

Keith sniffed. "Yeah, well, I wish I c-could!"

"Well I wish-! Okay, no, I'm _not_ fighting with you." Lance said it more as though he were trying to convince himself.

"All you ever want to do is fight with me."

"That's because- because- Look, we're not talking about me! We're talking you and the fact that you're totally in _love_ with me, okay?! Stop changing the subject!"

The direct reference had Keith shying away, despite being alone in the cockpit. Like his heart was being shredded, he felt the words like claws. He reached up and tried to press his tears back into his eyes, but it didn't work. Instead, his whole body trembled and he unintentionally released a sob. Which only broke him down further.

"I- Keith… Keith, I'm sorry." Lance's tone was gentle again. "I didn't- I'm not meaning to make you upset."

"Just _shut up_ , Lance!" Keith snarled. "I get it, okay?! You feel b-bad, but I don't need your sympathy, okay? I was n-n-never going to tell you anyway and- and-"

"You weren't _ever_ going to tell me?" Lance asked, having the audacity to sound hurt. Like Keith keeping his own stupid feelings to himself was some kind of mean thing to do. Leave it to Lance to make _him_ feel guilty for trying to protect himself.

"Of course not!" Keith snapped. "You think I want to f-feel this way? What good would t-telling you do? Except make things between us w-w-worse than they already are! I know full well that you don't l-like me very much, so what point would there be?"

"What makes you think I don't like you?"

Keith almost laughed. Almost. "Gee, I don't know. M-Maybe the fact that you're a complete ass to me all the time and h-h-have been since the day we met?"

"That's only because-! Ugh! You're right! I do hate you! Happy now?! Since I guess that's what you want so badly to hear!"

"You act like it's my fault!" That Lance hated him, that was. Last he'd checked, however, he'd never done anything to Lance. Not really, anyway. It was Lance that had always been antagonistic toward him first. Keith reciprocated, sure, but he didn't actually have any problems with Lance.

"It is your fault!" Lance rebuked. "If you weren't so perfect at everything, and if your hair wasn't so stupid, and if you're face wasn't so pretty, then I wouldn't hate you at all!"

"I- What? What does that even mean?" His face was pretty? Lance thought he was "pretty?" Was that a compliment or an insult? Coming from Lance, Keith couldn't be sure. Probably an insult though. That was the safer bet. "I can't help being good at things, or what my face looks like! And there's nothing wrong with my hair!" At least fighting was easier. Somehow, it was normal enough to calm Keith's nerves some, though they remained far too raw and close to the surface. One backtracking word from Lance and he'd be pathetically crying all over again.

"You have a mullet! It's stupid!"

"It's just hair!"

"Well I hate it!"

"Why?!"

"Because no one should be able to pull off a mullet, that's why!"

"I pull off my hair just fine!"

"And that's the whole problem!"

"That doesn't even make sense!"

" _You_ don't make sense!"

Keith growled. "I don't understand why I'm in love with you! You're so infuriating!"

"Yeah, well, I don't understand why I'm in love with you either!"

"I don't- Wait, what?" Keith's heart lurched in his chest, nearly knocking him out of his chair. It was only his tight hold on the control sticks that kept him in place. It took a moment for the words to really register, and even then he wasn't sure he really believed he'd heard them right. "What did you just say?"

But Lance didn't respond. The com was totally silent.

Which wasn't exactly reassuring to Keith. Especially with the way his heartbeat had picked up pace, thumping with an unfamiliar hope that he'd never allowed himself to feel and was still afraid to embrace. But it was there nonetheless, butterflies slowly folding from their cocoons to flutter their wings inside his stomach. It was an unnerving feeling, but—like so many others—one he couldn't control.

"Lance, what did you just say?"

Yet the silence continued.

Feeling both rushed with nervousness and frustrated, Keith fidgeted some before bending forward and grabbing his helmet off the floor. Only moments before, he'd wanted to be completely to himself. But now desperation had been fired inside him and he hastily grappled with the helmet before shoving it over his head. The mental connections was immediately rekindled, but lacking in the typical overcrowded gush with only he and Lance connected.

It was strange, however. For all of Lance's over the top behavior, being linked to him mentally was far more underwhelming. At least it was in those moments. It took a second for Keith to even find the mental connection between them, it was so subdued. So under control, actually. Far more under control than Keith had ever been able to accomplish.

But he reached out toward the connection nonetheless, brushing it lightly with his own mind only to feel it shy back defensively. Generally, Lance gave off a kind of encouraging optimism that kept the team going, but even then that was gone. In fact, it was like Lance was holding up a giant shield, making it impossible for Keith to sense anything aside from that barrier. A barrier that Keith wouldn't even know how to erect in his mind if he tried. Like always, his feelings were bared, though overshadowed by curiosity in those moments.

He brushed Lance's shield again, more forcefully, but it was like Lance was continually facing away from him.

Keith's frustration snapped against the connection almost violently, which only caused Lance to retreat further. Well, maybe retreat wasn't the right word. It was more like he was dancing out of Keith's reach, dodging every attempt made to connect before skittering away. Like water splitting around rocks, Lance found a way to get around his stabbing interjections.

But if he really wanted to avoid Keith, he could just take off the helmet. Which made the whole thing that much more confusing.

"Lance!"

A pathetic whimper was all that came over the com.

Keith huffed. "What the hell is your problem?!"

"I'm _nervous_!"

"Why?! You already know how I feel about you!"

"Because… Because…"

" _Lance_!" he barked.

"Because what if you change your mind?!"

Keith didn't get it. "Why would I change my mind? I don't think that's how it works…" He'd have changed his mind a long time ago if it was that easy.

"Can't was just… not do this from our lions? That might be easier…"

Keith narrowed his eyes. "That's not fair." He'd been suffering with his feelings exposed this whole time. And, well, if what Lance had said was true, he wanted validation. After all, Lance had just… had just claimed to be in love with him too, but Keith hadn't ever detected as much. "You've been able to sense my feelings this whole time."

"That's not _my_ fault…"

"Lance!"

"What?! I'm scared, okay?!"

"Scared of what?!"

"Of you!" Lance took a deep breath, Keith remaining quiet as he did. "I'm scared of you, okay?" he admitted a few moments later, tone subdued.

"Why would you be scared of me?"

"Because you're you! And you're so good at everything and I'm just… not. You're like that really cool guy in school that aces every test and is the star of every sport, while I'm just some class clown that's not even that funny. You're way out of my league…"

"I- What?" Keith wasn't sure he was comprehending right. "You think… Why would you think that about me?"

"Why wouldn't I? You didn't even remember me when we met rescuing Shiro, but I've had a huge crush on you since we were in the same class our first year at the Garrison. You were the best pilot in our class and I was just some lame cargo pilot. The only reason I got a fighter seat was because _you_ dropped out. You're basically Shiro's little brother. Shiro, my idol, who doesn't even take me seriously now. You're always doing all these heroic stunts out in space and I can't even cover our teammates half the time. You're, like, just… better than me in every way. So why would you waste a second even thinking about me…?"

The speech left Keith rather stunned. He never would have fathomed Lance felt that way. Not in a million years.

"I was so mad when you didn't remember," he continued. "Here I was, practically head over heels for you, and you didn't even know who I was."

"But…" Keith didn't understand. "You act like you can't stand me half the time."

"Yeah, well, it's easier to be angry at you than heartbroken all the time."

Keith was, truly and honestly, shocked. "That's why you're so nasty to me all the time?"

A bitter laugh echoed over the coms. "Not like you have pigtails I can pull. Though your hair is probably long enough for them."

"I- Pigtails? What?"

Another laugh. Which was accompanied by a slight bubbling of Lance's consciousness. Like he'd just reached out and poked Keith in the forehead. The gesture was oddly fond and had Keith blushing beneath his helmet.

"You're so clueless."

"Well, you're not exactly helpful."

"I know. Sorry."

Keith took a deep breath. "Look, Lance, I don't know why you think I'm so great. You're not a bad pilot at all. And everyone on the team appreciates you, Shiro included. You're smart and- and funny."

"You think I'm funny? And smart?"

"I- uh…" Keith blushed harder. "Well, I don't always get your jokes because, well, I'm not good at that sort of thing. But yeah, I mean, of course. I just… never wanted to give you the satisfaction of laughing when I thought you hated me so much."

"Are you saying that the harder you rolled your eyes, the funnier you thought I was?"

"Don't be a dick about it."

"I'm just wondering!"

"Ugh, whatever! You're very clever and very funny and you have a very nice smile and a stupidly handsome face. Now stop asking questions!"

"Oh, Keith, you flatterer. I'm all a-twitter. Stupidly handsome? What a compliment."

"I only said it because you said you thought I was pretty."

"You are pretty." Lance said, sounding quite serious. "You're beautiful."

Keith's whole body flared with heat, his consciousness flooding with so much embarrassment that Lance started laughing again. Which only made him angry.

"You can't just say things like that!"

"Why not?" Lance asked. "It's true."

"Because it's- Because I don't know what to say back!"

"You could compliment me. That's usually how flirting works. You know, if both parties like each other. Though, admittedly, that's not generally how it goes for me. But whatever."

Lance was flirting with him? It was an idea that was almost too much for Keith to compute. He'd never allowed himself to fathom what it would be like to have Lance return his feelings, let alone anything that came with it. How did he even respond? He didn't know how to flirt.

Oh wow, Lance _liked him back_.

"You're cute," Lance said a second later, probably because all of Keith's feelings were completely open for him to feel.

"Stop it," Keith said, frowning.

"Stop what? Being honest?" Lance teased. "I can't help it. You're, like, the prettiest boy I've ever seen—mullet and all. You've got such dark, deep eyes, and-"

"I said stop."

"-your smile is just too adorable. When you _do_ smile, anyway. And you've got a really hot bod-"

"Lance!" Keith was burning up, despite knowing Lance was only saying such things to get exactly that reaction.

"-body, especially in our suits. It frames your ass perf-"

"LANCE!"

"What? I'm just trying to be nice."

"You're being an asshole." Yes, Keith was pouting.

"Um, rude? Besides, I can tell perfectly well that you liked my compliments. I can sense how pleased you are, remember? And how embarrassed."

"Yeah, funny how you can do that, but I can't sense anything _you're_ feeling."

"Er, well…"

"And that was more like harassment than anything complimentary."

"Hey! Fine, you're a grouchy bastard with stupid hair and a bad attitude."

Insults that, really, were no different than usual. But this situation was far from ordinary and so Keith wasn't able to stand up against them as he typically would. Instead, he was hit with abrupt insecurity. True, Lance had seemingly admitted to having feelings for him, had even flirted with him, but it was all so new and so unbelievable. Keith couldn't help wondering if any of it was even real, or if he wasn't in some bizarre dream only to be yanked out by the reality that Lance really did hate him.

His insecurity sprouted up between them like tiny shoots from the dirt, until it was nearly overtaking anything else he was feeling. Which was saying a lot when considering how turbulent the last few minutes had been.

"Keith," Lance said quickly, sounding urgent. "Keith, stop. I didn't- I'm sorry. You don't need to feel that way. I'm not meaning to-" He sighed, sounding both defeated and anxious. "Please, just… Just don't…"

Don't what? Keith wasn't sure whether to be wary or curious. Or maybe both? Neither?

Neither sounded safe.

"You don't need to worry, Keith, okay? I do… I do have feelings for you. It's just… hard to get them out. I've been hiding them for a- a really long time. And I've never been very good at ignoring this sort of thing, so instead of getting over you, I just kept thinking about all the reasons I liked you so much, and then I got angry, and bitter, and… and I closed everything up inside. I guess I got pretty good at it, but that… that makes opening up a lot harder."

Keith's nerves settled a bit, hearing Lance admit to the feelings again calming him some. But he still wanted to know. He still wanted to be sure. He'd spent so much of his life alone, abandoned. It was selfish, maybe, demanding that Lance reveal his feelings so openly, but he wasn't sure he'd ever believe any of this was happening if he didn't.

He was used to being alone—used to being left behind. Like he was never really enough to keep anyone around…

The only person he'd ever really had was Shiro, which was hardly an impressive number.

"It's okay, Keith," Lance said quietly. "I'll- I'll show you. Just… don't get freaked out, okay?"

"What would I have to be freaked out about?"

"I just… I've liked you a really long time and- Whatever. It doesn't matter." Lance took an audibly deep breath. "Who knew I had this kind of mental control." He sounded like he was talking to himself, maybe giving a pep talk. "Okay, here we go, here we go." Was he stretching? Keith swore he could hear his armor creaking, like he was swinging his arms.

The thought—which might have been amusing—was hardly weighty enough in the face of Lance's slowly deteriorating defenses. Like each block in a brick wall was slowly being removed, Lance carefully and cautiously lowered his shields. All the while, Keith's own consciousness seemed to hover just outside, waiting as impatiently as a child does for candy. And as soon was the barrier was thin enough to penetrate—as soon as Lance's feelings began to leak through—Keith bolted forward and tied his own feelings up with Lance's, if only to prevent anything from slipping away unregistered.

Which was likely a good plan on Keith's part, as there was _a lot_ to take in.

It started out slow, like the tide gradually coming in. The first thing Keith registered was a border of harsh, stinging jealousy, but it burned out quickly in favor of stale, bitter resentment. Which—when considering it was all directed at Keith—wasn't exactly the best way to start things out. Yet from the resentment rose a steady, stretching, torturous kind of longing. Longing to say something, yet too afraid to do so. Longing for the feelings to go away, yet knowing they wouldn't. Longing for every bit of attention Keith gave to someone else all while seemingly ignoring him.

And from that longing—which was so deep-seeded and painful that it pulled a light gasp from Keith—more was revealed as though mud were being brushed from polished stone. Like a pearl kept covered and protected, the source of it all unfolded, pulling Keith in deeper even as a thin layer of Lance's anxiety wanted to push him away.

Keith hadn't even known it was possible to be loved so deeply by someone else. Lance's feelings were so intense that more than just that leaked through between them. Abruptly, memories that weren't his own flashed through his head. Images of their old Garrison classroom—the first class Keith had ever had—where Lance had apparently been sitting a few seats behind him. At which point Keith had turned when something had caught his attention, allowing Lance to see his face for the first time.

It was like a crack had ruptured through Lance's chest, the sensation just as shocking to him back then as it was to Keith in the present.

Fascination before Lance had even known his name.

It was a fascination that soon grew into honest interest, before true attraction set Lance's whole body aquiver with butterflies and low burning excitement every time he and Keith were in the same room, or whenever he happened to see him in passing. The desire to say something, do something, to get Keith's attention, festered and grew all the time, but also alongside a growing sense of inadequacy. Flashes of Keith's name at the top of the class, Keith being promoted early, Keith being close to Shiro. All the while Lance slipped further behind until they didn't share any classes any more. Until the inadequacy became acceptance and Lance instead decided to turn his feelings for Keith toward a rivalry that only he'd been aware of. Something to keep his feelings for Keith at bay.

Relief when Keith was kicked out of the Garrison, accompanied by the hope that maybe the feelings would finally go away.

Until the night Shiro came crashing back to earth, the sight of Keith both exciting and angering Lance.

Only for his heart to be harshly broken into pieces when Keith admitted, simply and as if it were of no consequence, that he hardly remembered Lance at all.

Fury, despair, yearning, all of it mixed up with the menagerie of confusion and fear at the mission they were all faced with. Which eventually died down into a forced sort of control, frayed around the edges with vicious defensiveness that resulted in Lance wanting nothing more than to lash out at Keith if and whenever possible. But even that didn't last forever, not with them in such close quarters. Despite all of Lance's efforts, he found himself hopelessly and helplessly falling in love with Keith all over again. Only this time it was worse because they were always in close quarters and they knew each other and they saved one another and Lance was lost on anything he could do about it.

So he did nothing. He kept picking fights and spiraling deeper, until his thoughts of Keith were constant, but trapped behind bars locked so tight that not even an _inkling_ of how he truly felt could escape.

The same feelings of inadequacy—of not being good enough and being ignored. The same bitterness and grief. Constant heartache accented by a desire so ingrained that it had carved away its own permanent place in Lance's consciousness.

Keith was stunned. He had absolutely no words or any idea how to react. How long had Lance felt this way about him? Years—since their very first class at the Garrison together.

All that time, someone had loved him and he'd never…

Love. Lance loved him _still_. After all that time, it was still there. Still strong, and though Keith had just perceived so much in such a short time, it was strong enough to overcome all that. It flooded through him like waves washing away the sand—all-encompassing and forgiving and accepting. And wanting, hoping even, that after all the time spent telling himself no, maybe there was still a chance. That this risk he was taking—though terrifying—might actually make a difference.

And so Keith tightened his own consciousness around Lance's with everything that he was, scared as well of what they were doing, but loving Lance too much to let this go on. He hadn't even realized how much he truly treasured Lance—he'd been too busy being ashamed of the feelings. But knowing just how profoundly Lance loved him back made it easier to give in. Made it easier to dissolve into the sensation until all he could feel was warm and pulsing adoration through every nerve and vein in his body. Like being in a safe, exhilarating cloud—weightless yet full.

It was new to Keith, love like this. Overpowering and overwhelming. So much so that he didn't even realize he was escaping through Red's mouth and out into space until the familiar looseness of having no gravity surrounded him. Flicking on his booster without a second's hesitation, he aimed for Blue, who was only a few meters away.

Reaching the other lion, Keith grappled against Blue's mouth, silently asking to be allowed in and hoping the lion was attentive enough to let him in.

"Keith?" Lance's voice echoed over the com.

But Blue wasn't the type to get in the way of what was happening between the two paladins. She parted her mouth just enough for Keith to slip in, before closing it again and once more activating the gravity. Jogging quickly up the ramp, the safety door leading into the cockpit opened upon Keith approaching.

Which revealed Lance, looking startled and like he'd just risen from his seat to face whoever Blue had let in without permission. Obviously it could only be one person, but Lance looked surprised nonetheless.

Not that Keith cared. Marching forward, he ripped his helmet from his head in the same moment. Which, of course, severed their mental connection, but he was more than certain of Lance's feeling by then.

Lance took a staggering step back, but Keith was swiftly reaching up for his helmet at the same time. With ease he pulled it from Lance's head, ignoring how that soft brown hair fluffed as a consequence. Instead, he tossed the headgear aside before reaching up and gently—if not firmly—gripping Lance's cheeks and leaning up into the few inches that separated them.

Keith had never kissed anyone in his life, but that wasn't enough to stop him. Not with lingering bits of Lance's thoughts about the same thing still drifting around in his head. Instead, he focused on how soft Lance's lips were against his own, and how smooth his warm skin was beneath his palms. He didn't know how to kiss and so knew the execution was sloppy at best, but he didn't care. He just closed his eyes and pushed forward.

Initially, Lance did nothing in response, still seeming unbalanced in Keith's grip. But within a few seconds he seemed to catch up to the moment and was leaning forward, their armor clanking together. And then Lance's hands were on his hips, holding tight, and their lips were moving together in inexperienced, heated, wanting need. But neither were self-conscious. They were far too caught up in one another for anything else to matter.

And the whole time, Keith's heart soared. It was cheesy and over the top, but he didn't care. He was a pilot and he knew what it was to fly. Of all the places in the universe he'd been, this was the most elating. Thrilling even, and terrifying. But wonderful.

It wasn't until they were literally out of breath, with heaving chests, that they finally broke apart. Their lips popped, Keith's vision spinning as he blinked into the intent blue eyes staring back at him. He felt shaky and off-balance, but in a surreally good way. His hands dropped to Lance's chest armor so as to steady himself, and he was trying to pull his thoughts together when Lance leaned into him again. He pulled a hand up to sift through Keith's hair, while his lips dotted desperate, heated kisses along his jaw. He trailed the attention up to Keith's ear, before his hot breath caressed his cheek gently.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, still holding Keith close by the hip while his fingers combed gently through his hair. "And so talented. And smart. And I don't deserve you."

Keith took a deep breath, trying to gather his voice. "Like hell you don't," he murmured, turning his nose into Lance's cheek. "I wish you'd said something sooner."

Lance chuckled, turning into him as well so their foreheads were resting together. "Like the first day we ever had class together?"

"That might have sped this up a little, yeah."

"And what would I have said?" Lance asked, grinning just a bit. "That I fell head over heels for you the moment I saw you?"

"You'd have had more success than you realize."

Lance chuckled. "All that time, wasted."

"All that time you could have been kissing me," Keith dared to tease, though he sounded quite serious. "And instead you were picking fights with me."

"Guess we'll have to make up for lost time," Lance decided, their noses brushing.

"Years' worth," Keith agreed, shockwaves running up and down his spine as their lips brushed again.

"Keith? Lance?" Shiro's voice echoed abruptly around Blue's cockpit, the two jumping away from each other out of sheer and abrupt self-consciousness. Keith blushed harder, while Lance patted his hair like Shiro had just walked in on them.

"Er, yeah, h-here," Lance managed to say after a second. "E-Everything's fine here."

"Yes, everything's fine," Keith agreed stiffly.

There was a slight crackling before Shiro spoke again. "Well, that's… good. I'm sorry, but, Keith, are you in the blue lion?"

Right, because they were speaking through dash coms.

"Uh… I happen to be here… yes…" He looked at Lance, who could only shrug helplessly. "But there's nothing weird going on," Keith continued babbling. "N-Not that there's anything weird that could be happening… anyway."

Lance shook his head, which only sparked Keith's irritation. Like he'd been any help.

"That's… good. I'm glad you're not at each other's throats, in any case."

"Well," Lance flashed a cocky smile Keith's way, "depends on what you mean by 'at each other's throats.'" And then he winked, as if that made what he said somehow more endearing.

"That… I don't…" Shiro was at a loss.

"What the fuck, Lance?" Keith asked brutally.

"What?! Not like we can keep it a secret or something…"

"That's not the point!"

Shiro coughed. "Boys, please."

"Besides, why shouldn't the world know that you regularly get to make-out with me? Not a bad decision on your part, if I do say so myself."

Keith glared. "I suppose that's yet to be determined."

Which was when Lance's turn to cast the stink eye came around. "Rude. See if Blue ever invites you in again."

"I already know Red would never invite _you_ in."

" _Boys_ …"

"That's because Red has bad taste."

"Bad taste? You just got done telling me how beautifu-"

"ANYWAY!" Lance raised his arms, turning his attention back to the com. "Everything's fine here. We'll be back at the castle soon."

Shiro hummed, sounding amused. "Alright. Don't be long—we still have some group training we can get done today."

"What?! No!" Pidge's voice was suddenly springing through the speakers. "Don't let them train with us! Not with helmets on! It was bad enough before! I can't imagine what being connected to their head-holes will be like now!"

Lance smirked.

"I think it's _romantic_ ," Hunk added.

Keith blushed furiously once again.

"It doesn't matter what it is, we'll deal with it," Shiro assured. "Don't dawdle out there."

"Yes, Sir," Keith said miserably.

"Sure thing," Lance finished.

And so the coms went quiet, both Keith and Lance standing awkwardly in the silence until Keith found the courage to look over. Lance was scraping the toe of his boot on the floor, as if to appear distracted. Maybe he was—his brows were scrunched rather thoughtfully together.

Keith gulped. "So…"

"You wanna make-out some more?" Lance asked hastily, his own face slightly pink as he finally glanced up.

Keith didn't even have to consider the question. "Yeah, okay."

They could afford to miss one morning of team training exercises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! The end, lol XD

**Author's Note:**

> Woooooooooooo...


End file.
